Times they are a Changin'
by IrishNun
Summary: Dean finds a way out of Purgatory but discovers that things have changed a little. Spoiler Season 8 Episode 1


**Title:** Times they are a Changin'

**Rating:** K

**Summary:** Dean finds a way out of Purgatory but discovers that things have changed a little. Spoiler Season 8 Episode 1

**AN:** I wrote this the night before season 8 began. Obviously Dean came back a little differently on the show, but I did steal a line or two from the episode.

8*8

She barely took any notice of him at first. He just looked like another bum at the side of the street. With torn pants and a dirty leather jacket, he was nothing special. She stepped out of her patrol car and fixed the collar of her shirt. She had been called on a possible kidnapping case where a young child disappeared at a crowded playground. She was about to walk to the scene but a thought pulled her back. She turned back to the streets. They were full of concerned citizens giving their reports of what they had witnessed to the other officers. Everyone looked concerned except one; the homeless man sitting alone beside the dumpster. She stretched her neck around the crowd. He was covered in black dirt, had a scruffy beard and untidy hair cut. He was staring into space when she began jogging across the street.

She placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. When he slowly faced her, she instantly recognised his piercing eyes. She fell back in horror and gasped loudly. "Oh my God," she whispered after regaining her composure. "Dean?"

8*8

Jodi Mills sat patiently at the table for him. She had found him some clean clothes and booked him into a motel room. Earlier, she had bought him a burger and large fries at the local diner. Now she was waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. When the door opened, a wall of steam escaped before being followed by the ghost of her friend. He was wearing the black t-shirt and baggy jeans she had bought him. He took the towel from his head and placed it on the warm radiator. He had used the razor she bought him and was now back to his clean shaven self.

"Should I be... checking that you're, you know... real?" she asked when he finally turned to her.

He shrugged. "Only if you want to," he replied wearily and sat on a chair across the room from her.

She blushed and looked away from his stare. In a way, she didn't want to check if he was real. She thought he was dead. They all did. To see him again looking the same, if only a little thinner, was incredible. And she didn't want that feeling to end. When she didn't take the lead, he walked over to the table and poured some bleach on his hand followed by some holy water. He then reached into his back pocket and cut the skin on the inside of his arm to reveal red blood.

"Where am I?" he asked as he wiped the blood away with his towel.

"Missouri," she informed him. "I got transferred here not long after you... you know." She waited for him to stop nodding before she spoke again. "So where were you, exactly? We thought you were dead."

"I was... in a way. Turns out standing too close to an exploding Dick sends your ass straight to Purgatory," he said adding a weak smile.

"How'd you manage to get out? How long have you been out?" But he didn't answer her. Instead, he just stared out the window to some empty space that had caught his attention again. She had seen that look before. It was the same look that a man suffering the loss of a loved one shared with a man returning from a large killing spree. He looked like he wanted to go back and that scared her.

"Where is he?" he asked and Jodi didn't have to ask who he meant.

"Dean," she began by swallowing hard. "A lot of things have changed since..." she smiled weakly when he turned his attention to her again. "It's been five years since you left us. I got transferred here and Sam... well..."

"Is he hurt? Is he okay?" he suddenly grew concerned and stood up quickly.

"No, it's not like that," she raised her hands to calm him down. "It's quite the opposite, actually. He's settled down. Got himself a wife and a nice little house in the country," she smiled gently. "He even has a little girl. He named her Mary Jo." She watched his face change.

"Mary Jo," Dean repeated sadly raising a corner of his mouth into half a smile. "That's cute."

"I can take you to him," she eagerly offered and grab her car keys. "He's only a two hour drive. We can get there by dinner."

But the other man just shrugged sadly. Sam now had the one thing Dean always wanted. A family.

8*8

**AN: Thanks for reading!**


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